Envelope manufacturing method by the braider

ABSTRACT

It is an object of the present invention to provide the envelope manufacturing method by the braider such that the envelope like the airship is formed as one object composed by the braider. The envelope manufacturing method by the braider, wherein a pair of the braiding material whose braiding angle is ±θ° to the axis and the axial material whose angle is 0° to the axis are organized as the braiding layer by the braider BR and the envelope En like the airship is composed as one body by said braiding layer and the thickness of the braiding layer in the axial both end parts of said airship envelope is arranged to be formed thinner than the thickness in the axial central part.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a manufacturing method of the envelope membrane for the airship etc. in conjunction with the development of the Stratospheric Platforms, particularly an envelope manufacturing method by the braider such that the envelope membrane for the airship is formed as one body by the braider.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002] In recent years, the research and development of the Stratospheric Platforms is progressed exponentially and comes under close scrutiny as the alternative system to the communications and the weather satellites in the communications and the weather observation fields. The Stratospheric Platforms technique is used as the communications and broadcasting, the earth observation and the astronomical observation etc. by staying the unmanned airship carried the communications machine and the observation sensor in the stratospheric altitude of about 20 km whose weather condition is relatively stable. Therefore, the airship has to be made by the light and strong materials and it is necessary to be formed as one body without patching the divided membranes.

[0003] So far, the envelope of the airship manufactured for this Stratospheric Platforms is formed by a poly-divide gore G and it is composed by the structure that the poly-divide gore is welded along the welding line, as shown in FIG. 12. Since the airship envelope made by welding these poly-divide gores together is welded to form by patching the poly-divide gores, there is a big problem in the strength in case of using as the airship envelope.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The present invention is made to solve the problems of the aforementioned conventional art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide the envelope manufacturing method by the braider such that the envelope like the airship and the balloon, made by using the light and strong materials, is formed as one body composed by the braider without patching the divided objects.

[0005] To achieve the abovementioned object, the present invention consists of the envelope manufacturing method by the braider such that a pair of the braiding materials whose braiding angle is ±θ° to the axis and the axial material whose angle is 0° to the axis are organized as the braiding layer by the braider and the envelope like the airship is composed as one body by the aforementioned braiding layer, to be more precise.

[0006] Further, the present invention consists of the envelope manufacturing method by the braider that the braiding material and the axial material mentioned above are tape-shaped, and the tape-shaped material gradually becomes narrower from the longitudinal central part to the longitudinal both end parts and it is the spindle-shape tape gradually becomes thinner from the longitudinal central part to the longitudinal both end parts.

[0007] Furthermore, the present invention consists of the envelope manufacturing method by the braider that the thickness of the braiding layer in the axial both end parts of the aforementioned envelope is formed thinner than the thickness in the axial central part.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008]FIG. 1 is a schematic outside drawing showing a concrete embodiment of an airship relating to one application example of the present invention.

[0009]FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory drawing for explaining an applied calculation in the concrete embodiment of said airship.

[0010]FIG. 3 shows an example of a sheet material becoming the basis for forming the spindle-shape tape for a pair of the braiding material and the axial material, wherein FIG. 3A is a schematic floor plan showing an embodiment that the spindle-shape tape is formed by the slit from the sheet material and FIG. 3B is the central longitudinal section.

[0011]FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the spindle-type tape for a pair of the braiding material and the axial material, wherein FIG. 4A is a schematic floor plan of the spindle-type tape and FIG. 4B is one schematic side view and FIG. 4C is a schematic perspective view showing the embodiment of the bobbin rewinded this spindle-shaped tape and FIG. 4D is the schematic cross section.

[0012]FIG. 5 is a schematic side view showing the state of the composition method of a pair of the braiding materials and the axial material in the composition method of the airship envelope.

[0013]FIG. 6 is a schematic side view showing one composition example of the airship envelope composed by the braiding.

[0014]FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing the main part of the state that the bobbin 7 is set to the braider BR.

[0015]FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing the arrangement relation between the bobbin as a pair of the braiding materials and the bobbin as the axial material.

[0016]FIG. 9 is a schematic front view showing an example of the basic composition of the braider.

[0017]FIG. 10 is a schematic sectional side view of the braider shown in FIG. 9.

[0018]FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view showing the typical example of the composition composed by the braider.

[0019]FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view showing the example composing said airship envelope by poly-divide gore with respect to the conventional manufacture of the airship envelope.

BEST MODE FOR EMBODYING THE INVENTION

[0020] Hereafter, the envelope manufacturing method of the airship and the balloon etc. by the braider according to the present invention will be described based on the concrete embodiment shown in the drawings. FIG. 1, relating to one application example of the present invention, is a schematic outside drawing showing the concrete embodiment of the airship. FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory drawing for explaining the applied calculation in the concrete embodiment of the airship.

[0021] An airship AS shown in FIG. 1 shows one application example of the present invention, and the present invention is not confined to the envelope for the above airship but can be also applied to the envelope for the balloon and the like. The airship AS relating to one application example of the present invention, equipped with an envelope En mainly composed of the gasbag and a tail assembly Ta and formed by the pressure membrane structure filled with the lifting gas composed of the helium gas etc. in it, is formed such that it goes up by the surplus buoyancy of the helium gas in the gasbag in the envelope En and is stayed in the stratosphere of about 20 to 22 km from the ground emitting the lifting gas of the surplus buoyancy in the mission altitude and goes down by the tare by discharging a part of the helium gas more. Moreover, the sunlight can be stably used as the energy source in this airship on favorable terms of the weather in the stratosphere, so that a solar battery SC is arranged to be disposed on the outer surface of the upper part of the envelope En.

[0022] On the other hand, the design condition of the envelope En in the abovementioned airship can be set based on the applied calculation of the airship. As shown in FIG. 2, the stress to the envelope in the airship includes the diameter direction stress and the axial direction stress. If the diameter of the airship is D and the length of the airship is L and the internal pressure of the airship is P, a diameter direction stress Sd is Sd=(D/2)×P and an axial direction stress Sa is Sa (D/4)×P. In other words, since the stress becomes weaker as the diameter D of the airship becomes smaller, the thickness can be designed thinner from the axial central part to the axial end part sides of the airship.

[0023] The design condition mentioned below is especially required in the envelope En in the aforementioned airship. In other words, (1) the material is light and strong, (2) there is no need to make the margin for paste and a seam for making light to the utmost limit, (3) the thickness is required minimum, (4) the cut part of the material is minimized and (5) it is possible to be manufactured as one body etc.

[0024] Therefore, it is an ideal that the airship envelope is manufacture by the braider with respect to the manufacture of the envelope in the airship. According to the manufacture of the airship envelope by this braider, (1) the light and strong materials can be applied, (2) the margin for paste and a seam etc. is not needed and it can be light to the utmost limit, (3) it can be composed to the minimized membrane, (4) the cut part of the material can be diminished and (5) it is possible to be manufactured as one body, and more, the aforementioned stress can be corresponded by changing the thickness of a thin material, using the thin material as the braiding material and the axial material.

[0025] Next, the concrete structural example of the aforementioned braider and the composition composed by the braider will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 9, FIG. 10 and FIG. 11. FIG. 9 is a schematic front view showing an example of the basic structure of the braider, and FIG. 10 is a schematic sectional side elevation of the braider shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view showing a typical example of the composition composed by the braider.

[0026] First, one structural example of the braider will be described with reference to FIG. 9. A braider BR consists of a braider main body Bb and a mandrel device Bm in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10.

[0027] The braider main body Bb in the braider BR has a curved top plate U of a curvature radius R arranged in an almost cylindrical machine Fb that the axis is horizontal and an opening e is provided in one side, a bobbin carrier C traveling along the track made to the circumferential direction of the top plate U, a drive unit D in order for the bobbin carrier C to travel along the track and a yarn guide apparatus G.

[0028] Moreover, the material Y pulled from the bobbin placed in the bobbin carrier C to the axial direction of the bobbin is assembled to the almost center of the top plate U, and the position of a mandrel m installed in the mandrel device Bm is arranged such that a build up point P of the braiding formed on the mandrel m is positioned in the center of the top plate U. The mandrel device Bm can be controlled to position the mandrel m in the single, two and three dimensions.

[0029] The bobbin carrier C is traveled along the track by the drive unit D like this and the position of the mandrel m is controlled by the mandrel device Bm, so that the numerous materials Y are complicated and the braiding layer can be built up on the various shaped mandrel conducting the braiding by that the material for axial material y from the bobbin carrier C arranged almost horizontally to a frame Fb′ of the machine Fb is confounded to the material Y rewinded and built up from the bobbin carrier C traveling along the track, if necessary.

[0030] Next, the basic structural example of the braiding composition composed by the above braider will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 11. Braiding compositions B, C shown in FIG. 11 are composed as a cylindrical (pipe-shaped) composition. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the aforementioned braiding compositions B, C are organized by a pair of the braiding materials 21, 22 whose braiding angle to the axis are ±θ° and a axial material 23 whose angle is 0° to the axis.

[0031] According to one example of the present invention, the envelope En of the airship AS is composed as the braiding compositions B, C becoming the abovementioned basic composition by the abovementioned braider. Hereafter, the manufacturing method of the envelope En for the airship and the like by the braider BR becoming the present invention will be described.

[0032] First, in an embodiment of the present invention, the structural example of a pair of the braiding materials 1, 2 and the axial material 3 used for the braider BR for manufacturing the airship envelope En will be described with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. According to the present invention, the aforementioned a pair of braiding materials 1, 2 and the axial material 3 are formed by the tape-shaped material which gradually becomes narrower from the longitudinal central part to the longitudinal both end parts and that is the spindle-shaped tape which gradually becomes thinner from the longitudinal central part to the longitudinal both end parts.

[0033] For example, as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the aforementioned a pair of braiding materials 1, 2 and axial material 3 forms a sheet material 4 whose thickness is about 0.1 mm by combining the strand materials like Kevlar and xyron in flat condition and the sheets 4A, 4B, 4C whose lengths are different is formed from this sheet material 4 and a laminating sheet LS which gradually becomes thinner from the longitudinal central part to the longitudinal both end parts is formed by connecting the sheets 4A, 4B, 4C in the laminating state. According to the example shown in the drawings, the thickness t of the aforementioned laminating sheet LS is about 0.3 mm in the longitudinal central part, and it is formed as the sheet material whose thickness t is about 0.1 mm in the longitudinal both end parts.

[0034] This laminating sheet LS is slit such that the width w gradually becomes narrower from the longitudinal central part to the longitudinal both end parts along a curved slit line 5 as shown in FIG. 3A and is formed to a spindle-shaped tape 6 as shown in FIG. 4. In other words, the spindle-shaped tape 6 is prepared as the composition which gradually becomes narrower from a longitudinal central part 6 a to a longitudinal both end parts 6 b, 6 b and gradually becomes thinner from the longitudinal central part 6 a to the longitudinal both end parts 6 b, 6 b.

[0035] This spindle-shaped tape 6 is prepared as a bobbin 7 as shown in FIG. 4C and FIG. 4D in order to set in the braider BR, forming to the length such that it can be composed by a sequential braiding materials 1, 2 and the axial material 3 to the composition of the length L and the diameter D of the composed airship envelope En.

[0036] The bobbin 7 by the spindle-shaped tape 6 prepared like this is set in the braider BR. FIG. 7 schematically shows the main part of the state that the bobbin 7 is set to the braider BR, and FIG. 8 schematically shows the arrangement relation between the bobbin 7 as a pair of the braiding materials 1, 2 and the bobbin 7 as the axial material 3. In FIG. 7, numerous bobbins 7A as a braiding material 1 whose braiding angle is +θ° to the axis are set along the circumference around it to the mandrel m for the composed airship envelope En, and numerous bobbins 7B as the braiding material whose braiding angle is −θ° to the axis are set, and more, numerous bobbins 7C as the axial material whose angle to the axis is 0° are set along the other circumference.

[0037] The squeezing is conducted by a squeezing means 9 composed of the squeezing wire to an organization part 8 mounted on the aforementioned mandrel m by the spindle-shaped tape 6 winded off respectively from the aforementioned bobbins 7A, 7B, 7C, so that a composition 10 is organized. The composition 10 organized like this is arranged to be coated with resin.

[0038] In an embodiment shown in FIG. 7, for example, the aforementioned mandrel m is formed by the composition like the balloon with air, and the air is pulled out and can be extracted from the composed composition 10 after the braiding by a pair of the braiding materials and the axial materials.

[0039] As seen in the example mentioned above, the present invention is organized as the braiding layer of a pair of the braiding material whose braiding angle is ±θ° to the axis and the axial material whose angle is 0° to the axis by the braider and the airship envelope can be composed as one body by this braiding layer and the aforementioned a pair of the braiding material and the axial material gradually becomes narrower from the longitudinal central part to the longitudinal both end parts and it is formed by the spindle-shaped tape which gradually becomes thinner from the longitudinal central part to the longitudinal both end parts, so that the thickness of the braiding layer in the axial both end parts of the airship envelope can be formed thinner than the thickness in the axial central part.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0040] According to the envelope manufacturing method by the braider of the present invention as composed above, (1) the light and strong materials can be applied, (2) the margin for paste and a seam is not needed and it can be light to the utmost limit, (3) it can be composed to be the required minimum thickness, (4) the cut part of the material can be diminished, and (5) it can be manufactured as one body, and furthermore, it can be acted so effectively in that the aforementioned stress can be corresponded by changing the thickness of the thin material using the thin material as the braiding material and the axial material. 

1. An envelope manufacturing method by the braider, characterized in that a pair of braiding materials whose braiding angle is ±θ° to the axis and an axial material whose angle is 0° to the axis are formed as a braiding layer by the braider and the envelope like the airship is formed to be composed as one body by said braiding layer.
 2. The envelope manufacturing method by the braider according to claim 1, wherein said braiding material and the axial material are tape-shaped and the width of said material becomes gradually thinner from the longitudinal central part to the longitudinal both end parts and it is the spindle-shaped tape which gradually becomes thinner from the longitudinal central part to the longitudinal both end parts.
 3. The envelope manufacturing method by the braider according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the thickness of the braiding layer in the axial both end parts of said envelope is arranged to be formed thinner than the thickness in the axial central part. 